Mick Hartley

If my post of yesterday seemed to be mocking Laura Bush and her Middle Eastern breast cancer awareness campaign, let me redress the balance:

One Saudi woman ignored the cancer growing in her breast because she didn’t want to risk a referral to a male doctor. Another was divorced by her husband on the mere suspicion she had the disease, while a third was dragged away from a mammogram machine because the technicians were men.

Breast cancer is still considered a taboo in oil-rich Arab Gulf countries like Saudi Arabia even as the disease claims more and more victims, but some women are pushing for greater openness about the illness.

Their efforts received a boost this week: a visit from U.S. first lady Laura Bush to the region to raise awareness for breast cancer.

On Wednesday, her second day in Saudi Arabia, Bush met with a group of breast cancer survivors in the western seaport of Jiddah. As a token of their appreciation for her efforts, they presented her with a long black scarf — the kind women use to cover their hair in public — with pink ribbons symbolizing the disease attached to both ends.

They then helped her wrap it around her head, though visiting female dignitaries are exempt from strict Saudi dress codes for women.

“No campaigns, ads or programs would have had the kind of impact that Laura Bush’s trip has given to breast cancer awareness in the kingdom,” said Samia al-Amoudi, a gynecologist diagnosed with the disease in April 2006.

“Her trip will make people ask, ‘Why is she here? For breast cancer? Is it that serious in this country?’” she added.

In Saudi Arabia, the issue is very serious. About 70 percent of breast cancer cases are not reported until they are at a very late stage, compared with 30 percent or less in the U.S., according to al-Amoudi.

She also said 30 percent of Saudi patients are under 40 years old, compared to 5 percent in the U.S.

Breast cancer is the No. 1 killer of women in the United Arab Emirates, according to official statistics, with many dying because the stigma surrounding the disease prevents them from seeking early detection.